Regarding Your Feedback on the Wireless Stereo Headset

Update: PS3 firmware 4.20 will add several new features designed to address the sidetone issues in the Wireless Stereo Headset. It will be available on 6/26/12 in North America, read more here.

Since PS3 system software update (v.4.10) released in February, we’ve heard from some of you about a feature change that was introduced to the official Wireless Stereo Headset. I wanted to take the time to let you know that we have listened to your feedback and will be modifying the performance as part of a future firmware update.

Let me provide the backstory. With the 4.10 update, we added a feature that enabled you to hear your own voice through the headset when playing multiplayer modes. This type of audio feedback, technically known as “sidetone,” was among the features requested by some of you (and some of the press) for multiplayer gameplay. Unfortunately the feature has had unintended effects in certain games, and, based on some of the feedback we’ve heard from the community, a solution to improve the performance is under development.

We don’t have a confirmed timing yet for when the update will be released, but we will report back here. For any Wireless Stereo Headset owners who have been affected by this feature change, thanks for your continued patience while we work on the improvements.

Really needs to be an option to turn this off. While many have requested such a feature, you need to understand that not everyone wants to be forced to use it. I for one find hearing myself extremely distracting and it really screws up my speech when I’m interrupting myself. Do not want.

I just hear a constant static that makes my $100 dollar headset seem like I got it at a yard sale.

Glad to hear your working on this Sony. Please try to make it timely, though, as I can’t really think of a good reason for this happening in the first place.
I mean, what, do you guys not even test your firmware?
Obviously you must, but how didn’t you catch this one?
Guess no one over there at Sony thought to try a Sony headset with the new Sony firmware.
Like really, guys, you could save yourselves a lot of grief if you’d consider properly testing your own products(Cough vita cough).

another thing they need to fix is the fact that (at least to some people) (i have this issue and have googled my ass off looking for it on the Internet to see if other people have the same issue, and, quite a number of other people do. not a “50% of all PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset users” do but still a significant number) the Wireless Stereo Headsets are DEAFENINGLY loud.

when i have the “master volume” slider slid down to the lowest it can be at before the game-sound turns completely off, and the “game/voice”-balancer slider set to the middle “notch”, the game-sound’s volume is STILL too loud (unfortunately: dangerously loud. DEAF-MAKING loud). and unfortunately the only way to lower the volume further is by moving the “game/voice”-balancer slider more into the “voice” position, until it’s at the point “just before” it “clicks” to the middle position (ie. the “middle ‘notch’ “). this is pretty much the only way i can use it; the only way it’s not DEAFENINGLY loud (but still too loud to be tolerable, and/or acceptable, and/or “safe [for a person’s hearing]”) (not to mention eardrums, hammer, anvil, and stirrup, inner-ear, etc).

(continuation of previous comment) (i got a automated reply saying the “comment was too long”, so i had to shorten it. however, all this information is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, so i’m posting it all).

unfortunately, moving the “game/voice”-balancer slider to the “voice” territory means (and makes) that the voice-chat audio takes precedence, and obviously, this pretty much defeats the purpose of having the Wireless Stereo Headset (at least this is what i use it for): to hear the enemies’ positions better, and be able to know where they’re coming from, etc etc.

i have already contacted Sony about this issue but i knew what the Customer Service guys were going to say (having been in 6 call-center jobs myself. all involving either Customer Service, Tech Support, and/or TeleSales): [they were going to provide the only ‘solution’ they had available (which unfortunately, wasn’t going to fix the problem anyway, because the problem had nothing to do with the connection of the wireless headset to the PS3)]: “reset” the PS3 Wireless Stereo Headset, and pair it again to the PS3 console. (needless to say, this did not fix the “volume being too loud even at the lowest-possible “master-volume”-slider setting” problem).

(continuation of previous 2 comments) (i got a automated reply saying the “comment was too long”, so i had to shorten it. however, all this information is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, so i’m posting it all).

Sony, please, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND HUMANITY, fix this issue!!!

i love the headset, i love how light it is, and how comfortable it is on your ears, but seriously, i (and other people that have this issue) can’t use it if it’s so damn loud [, even at the lowest master-volume setting,] that it will make you go deaf [if you keep using it]!

Please let me change the sensitivity of the mic in the “Audio Device Settings” for this Headset. It is always on “3″, and it is not very loud. I would love to have the option to change it to “5″, but everything is faded out except for 3…why is this? I love this headset, but most of the time people can’t hear me :(

i just ordered these looking at all the reviews on amazon saying that they are amazing. unfortunately i didnt check the one star reviews in time. my headset has already shipped. should i return it? or will this be fixed soon?!?

As ggamdori said on April 5th, page one of this post, I would really appreciate it if you guys could make implementations to allow people like myself who record their game play to be able to record sound while listening to game volume through their headset. I think this headset sounds great, I prefer it over my previous Turtle Beaches(which break way too easily..), but I wish I could record sound as well. The problem is that, since we can’t use multi-output for audio with this headset, we can’t have audio going through our A/V cables(which are required to record audio through an HD PVR) as well. We CAN, however, record sound IF we have our systems set to only have chat volume coming through our headsets, but what’s the point in having a gaming headset if we can’t hear the game play with it?

I just picked mine up since the update. When the legal credits start at the opening of Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition I hear a lot of white noise and a beeping sound and it doesn’t stop. Is this an issue with the headset or with the komplete edition of mortal kombat?

Thank you so much for addressing this issue! The “sidetone” gives me a headache after about 5 minutes. An on and off option would be great. Also, I think a Front/Rear balance option would be pretty sweet.

This response from Sony is hardly an ‘update’…there is absolutely zero commitment on Sony’s part concerning a fix, other than saying they are working on it. How about a time-frame for the solution? Or at least a patch that gets rid of the added code in the firmware that handles the sidetone. Seriously, didn’t Sony’s QA department test the firmware update before issuing it?

I am experiencing the ‘noise’ issue that sounds like interference, and it basically makes the headset unusable.

My options at this point are:

1. Don’t play any games on my PS3
2. Play without the headset, and instead use the home stereo, on a very low volume.

Neither is an option…I bought the headset so I can play games without disturbing others!

First of all [quote]…was among the features requested by some of you (and some of the press)[/quote]
correction THE PRESS asked and immediately add the feature, but the PLAYERS the one’s that REALLY MATTER, they don’t even care what they ask. I bet 99% of the player who own a Sony Ps3 Stereo Headset (like myself) don’t want that feature, never asked for it and i am sure a pissed they add it, and overall it’s taking forever to fix it.

Second i bought the headset to be isolated of the outside world noise/disturbance while i am playing, not to bring the outside world inside my head even louder. (isn’t that what headset’s a made for? listening to your stuff without disturbing anyone and anyone disturbing you?)

Everything should have been fixed long ago, option in ps3 could be add to SELECT between old type BEFORE UPDATE 4.10 and NEW TYPE after update 4.10, so anyone who likes the new feature could keep the darn thing, and the one’s complaining (LIKE ME) can have it the way it should be.

PS: regarding cross-game chat, if you guys say cross-game chat can’t be done because the game allocates all memory for it before and nothing is left for cross-gaming chat, then the new games released should allocate the memory space for cross-game chat beforehand, so new games could have cross-game chat, rather then no games. (and this I know can be done easily).